'A must-read' THOMAS PIKETTY'Captivating' DARON ACEMOGLU'Fascinating' FRANCIS FUKUYAMAAn award-winning political scientist shows that a society's path to prosperity, sustainability, and equality depends on who owns the land.For millennia, land has been a symbol of wealth and privilege. But the true power of land ownership is even greater than we might think. In Land Power, political...

'A must-read' THOMAS PIKETTY'Captivating' DARON ACEMOGLU'Fascinating' FRANCIS FUKUYAMAAn award-winning political scientist shows that a society's path to prosperity, sustainability, and equality depends on who owns the land.For millennia, land has been a symbol of wealth and privilege. But the true power of land ownership is even greater than we might think. In Land Power, political...

When and why do countries redistribute land to the landless? What political purposes does land reform serve, and what place does it have in today's world? A long-standing literature dating back to Aristotle and echoed in important recent works holds that redistribution should be both higher and more targeted at the poor under democracy. Yet comprehensive historical data to test this claim has been lacking. This book shows that land redistribution - the most consequential form of redistribu...

Major land reform programs have reallocated property in more than one-third of the world's countries in the last century and impacted over one billion people. But only rarely have these programs granted beneficiaries complete property rights. Why is this the case, and what are the consequences? This book draws on wide-ranging original data and charts new conceptual terrain to reveal the political origins of the property rights gap. It shows that land reform programs are most often implemen...

This book argues that - in terms of institutional design, the allocation of power and privilege, and the lived experiences of citizens - democracy often does not restart the political game after displacing authoritarianism. Democratic institutions are frequently designed by the outgoing authoritarian regime to shield incumbent elites from the rule of law and give them an unfair advantage over politics and the economy after democratization. Authoritarianism and the Elite Origins of Democrac...

Canonical theories of political economy struggle to explain patterns of distribution in authoritarian regimes. In this Element, Albertus, Fenner, and Slater challenge existing models and introduce an alternative, supply-side, and state-centered theory of 'coercive distribution'. Authoritarian regimes proactively deploy distributive policies as advantageous strategies to consolidate their monopoly on power. These policies contribute to authoritarian durability by undercutting rival elites a...

A cultural and scientific history of the Moon from prehistoric archaeology to the most recent technological and scientific research today.'A sweeping, lyrical new account of our cosmic neighbour'PETER BRANNEN, author of The Ends of the WorldEvery living being throughout history, across time and geography, has gazed up at the same moon.From the first prehistoric life that crawled onto land guided by t...

The authoritative book to help you make sense of the world - as told by a former British diplomat.'A must-read to understand the often bewildering world we now live in, written as a scholarly book in an accessible tone' - READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Iran. Greenland. Ukraine. Global politics as we know it has been challenged beyond measure in recent times.Westlessness by former UK diplomat Dr Samir Puri is here to help make...

Brought to you by Penguin.Economics has the power to make the world a better, happier and safer place: this book shows you howOur world is in a mess. The challenges of climate change, inequality, hunger and a global pandemic mean our way of life seems more imperilled and society more divided than ever; but economics can help!From parenting to organ donation, housing to anti-social behaviour, economics provides the tools we need to f...

As the Cold War faded into history, it appeared to have been replaced by a new conflict - between Islam and the West. Or so we are told. After the events of 9/11 and the advent of the 'war on terror', this narrative seemed prophetic. But, as Peter Oborne reveals in this masterful new analysis, the concept of an existential clash between the two is a dangerous and destructive fantasy.Based on rigorous historical research and forensic contemporary journalism that lea...

Brought to you by Penguin.Time and time again, great thinkers like Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger have credited their success to mental models: simple representations of how the world works that can be applied in a wide array of contexts. Mastering a small number of these concepts enables you to rapidly grasp new information, identify patterns others don’t, and better anticipate outcomes.The Great Mental Models introduces the most powerful model...

From the author of Fake History, Otto English, comes a shocking yet hilarious look at ten of the greatest liars from our past, examining these previously unquestioned idols and exposing what they were trying to hide.'A brilliant book.' James O'BrienWas Che Guevara really a revolutionary hero?Should Mother Teresa be honoured as a saint?Is Henry V actually England's greatest king?And why does JFK's legend cont...